Three dead, two still missing as floods and landslides ravage Arunachal

Heavy monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc across Arunachal Pradesh on June 29, claiming more lives, triggering fresh landslides and flash floods, and disrupting road connectivity across at least 12 districts as rescue and relief operations intensified. 

The Indian Air Force (IAF) rescued four people stranded on an island in the Sisiri River in Lower Dibang Valley, while search teams continued efforts to trace two persons missing for the sixth consecutive day in Keyi Panyor district.

In Lower Dibang Valley, an IAF helicopter rescued four people trapped on an island in the Sisiri River in the Dambuk area after rising floodwaters cut them off. Heavy rainfall also caused extensive damage to the Roing-Anini road, with flash floods washing away roads and bridges at multiple locations, severely disrupting connectivity.

In Anjaw district, an excavator operator was feared dead after a massive boulder crushed the machine engaged in highway construction near Sarti village on the Walong road late Sunday. 

Rescue operations, which were suspended overnight due to poor visibility and the threat of further rockfalls, resumed on Monday morning with personnel from Walong Outpost and Hawai Police Station assisting in the operation. Authorities have closed the affected stretch to traffic until debris is cleared. The operator's condition had not been officially confirmed.

East Siang district remained on high alert as continuous rainfall triggered landslides, flash floods and road washouts. Of the 11 major roads affected, only two had been reopened, while key routes, including Pasighat-Pangin, Pasighat-Mariyang-Yingkiong, Pasighat-Mebo-Dambuk-Bomjir, Bilat-Ledum and Pasighat-Yagrung-Ledum-Tene, remained blocked or unsafe.

The left-side approach to Letong Bridge on the Pasighat-Runne-Takilalung road was washed away, while roads near Balek Secondary School, Ranaghat Bridge and the Poglek River crossing remained impassable.

Floodwaters inundated at least 10 houses in the Ledum area after a river changed its course due to incessant rain. One house was nearly submerged, two cattle were swept away, and a community toilet, rice mill and three shops suffered damage. Around 12 families were shifted to safer locations, with a community Dere serving as a temporary relief shelter. No casualties were reported from the area, although the collapse of a vital bridge disrupted connectivity.

In Lower Siang district, a massive landslide at Siji blocked the flow of the Siji River near the Likabali checkpost, causing water to accumulate upstream and prompting fears of downstream flooding. A motorcyclist narrowly escaped after being swept down a slope along with his motorcycle during the landslide. Police alerted riverside residents to move to safer places before officials confirmed that the river resumed its normal flow on Monday morning as the accumulated water receded.

Search operations also entered the sixth day in Keyi Panyor district, where two people remain missing after a devastating flash flood struck the NEEPCO colony at Poosa last Wednesday. The death toll rose to three after the body of Saurabh Kumar Kharwar was recovered near Hawa Camp in neighbouring Papum Pare district on Sunday. Earlier, the bodies of two women had been recovered on Wednesday and Saturday.

Five people had initially gone missing after the flash flood destroyed houses, roads and infrastructure in the colony. Preliminary assessments indicate that around 30 houses were completely washed away at the NEEPCO colony, while another 10 houses were destroyed and 14 partially damaged in the adjoining Possa and Pitapool areas. In all, 128 households have been affected, with 60 displaced residents currently sheltered at a relief camp on the NEEPCO campus.

According to officials, the ongoing rain fury has affected Keyi Panyor, Papum Pare, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, Lower Subansiri, Kamle, Upper Subansiri, East Siang, Leparada, Lower Siang, Lower Dibang Valley and Anjaw districts.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast more heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning over East Siang and neighbouring districts, including Leparada, Lower Siang, Lower Subansiri and Papum Pare. Authorities have urged people to avoid travelling through flood- and landslide-prone areas unless absolutely necessary and to strictly follow official advisories until weather conditions improve.